Bangalore has been going by the names ‘Garden City’, ‘IT Hub’ and ‘Silicon Valley’ for years now. However, this pleasant place has much to offer to both residents and tourists. It has monuments and temples which belong to another era. It has hills, waterfalls and even bird sanctuaries in close proximity. It is home to the Bannerghatta Forest and Zoo and houses numerous serene lakes within the city.

Bangalore City | Image Resource : wikipedia.org

Garden City Bangalore | Image Resource : ostrichtours.com

Garden City Bangalore | Image Resource : ostrichtours.com

Garden City Bangalore | Image Resource : ostrichtours.com

Garden City Bangalore | Image Resource : ostrichtours.com

IT Hub Bangalore | Image Resource : ostrichtours.com

Bird watching is one of the best things to do in Bangalore, which are enjoyed by many tourists. The Mysore city is approximately 150 km from the city of Bangalore and is home to the Rangantittu Bird Sanctuary, which is one of the largest in the state. The sanctuary is also home to a large number of fresh water crocodiles and is visited by a variety of birds throughout the year.

Walk On The Lanes of the Busy MG and Brigade Roads – Things To Do in Bangalore!

Bird watching, are important things to do in Bangalore and most frequently happens in the town of Ramanagara. The town is famous because the popular cult movie ‘Sholay’ was shot in this location. The town is dotted with hillocks piled high and small water spots. It is home to the Long Billed Vultures, which have been declared as an endangered species. The pick – up location is Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore and the guests are welcomed with a cool drink and complimentary breakfast.

Horse Riding, Shopping Are Few More Preferred Things To Do In Bangalore

Going on road trips is an exciting thing to do in Bangalore. Bheemeshwari, Saavandurga and Shivagange. Shivagange & Devarayanadurga trips via Sedan are being held at Arekere Mico Layout as the starting point. Trips are also organized to historical places like Belur, Halebeedu, Sravana Belegola which have temples and monuments belonging to the royal era. They are being covered via Indica at Arekere Mico layout as the start point.

Bheemeshwari| Image Resource : trekkerpedia.com

Some event organizers arrange for day tours to other cities like Mysore and nearby locations like treks to Tadiandamol peak at Yavakapadi village.

After a wonderful trip to the Cubbons Park of the city, it was now turn to visit one of the biggest landmarks of Bangalore, the Bangalore Palace. The palace is a renowned place in the city and is known for its wooden structure and amazing carvings both inside and outside which depicts different architectural styles and is reminiscent of the royal culture of the city. The Palace grounds are also known for hosting concerts, cultural programs and events which involve a high number of audience and spectators.

The construction of the palace started in the year 1862 and was completed by 1944. There have been constant changes to the ownership of the empire from the Woddeyar Dynasty to the British.it is said that on his visit to England, Wadiyar Dynasty King was highly impressed with the architecture of the Windsor castle and this inspired him to build a similar style palace in Bangalore.

Bangalore Palace | Image Resource : mapsofindia.com

The Palace is currently under the ownership of the Royal family of Mysore and since 2005 it is opened for the public. The entry fees and charges collected are all used for the maintenance of the Palace. The palace has many artefacts which are made from the trunk and body parts of animals like elephants and tigers which were hunted by the Woodeyar Kings.

The gardens of the Palace are spread across more than 450 acres. The furniture which is kept inside the palace is equally stunning reminiscent of the Victorian style and Edwardian styles. Floral motifs, wooden carvings are used everywhere to decorate the interiors of the Palace. There are 35 rooms inside the Palace. The Palace has undergone a massive renovation program. There are many artefacts which are now publicly exhibited like old photographs and silk clothes used by the Royal families.

Bangalore Palace is used by many Rock bands and Pop starts for their tour to India. Once I was done with the visit to the Palace I headed back to my hotel for spending the night and having dinner. The hotel which I had booked for this trip was Hotel Clarks Exotica Resort& Spa.

About Bangalore Fort :The fort of Bangalore was built by the Famous Kempe Gowda who also named the city. It was initially a mud fort built in the fifteen hundreds and was later developed into a big fort. It is centuries old and I could appreciate the historical importance of this place on my visit here.

The trip to the HAL aerospace museum was not only informative but also very exciting. We were thrilled to see the simulators producing the real life like effects of aircrafts and planes and the library was simply stunning. It was now time to visit a historical place located in the city which was made as a summer retreat by Tipu Sultan. The city of Bangalore which is regarded as one of the modern metros of the country also has a bit of history to it in the form of Tipu Sultan’s bravery.

The Tipu Sultan fort lies in the crowded City market area of Bangalore and the palace is situated within the premises of the fort. An important landmark of the city it is also one of the most important historical monument built in Islamic architecture. The palace used to be called as Raash-e-jannat or the Heaven’s Envy. The fort was built by the King to protect his kingdom from the British.

The palace is a majestic structure which is built from teak wood, mortar and stones. It is one of the most beautiful palaces you get to see in India. The charming carvings done on the pillars which support the palace structure are worth admiration. Floral motifs decorate the walls and ceilings of the palace giving it a magnificent look. This palace is a fine example of Indo Islamic architecture and art school.

When Tipu Sultan died the British used this palace as their secretariat. The museum inside the palace is the most stunning part which houses many artefacts of that era. The museum presents a picture of the mighty Tipu Sultan and his bravery along with the luxurious life style of the royals. The crown and clothes of the Sultan are also placed there. One can also find a temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha inside the palace complex which speaks a lot of religious tolerance of the King.

Entrance of Tipu Sultan Summer Palace | Image Resource : flickr.com

The visit to the summer retreat of Tipu Sultan amazed us all. We were awe inspired by the architecture and the designs of the palace. When we were done with the visit to the palace, we headed for our next place which was Cubbon Park.

The visit to International Technology Park of Bangalore at Whitefield was a good one. We came to know as to why the city is known as India’s Silicon Valley. The number of MNCs having office there proves what a big player India is when it comes to IT and software industry. Once we were done with the visit to the IT Park, we headed for our next place of visit. This place got the kids very excited. It was the HAL heritage centre and aerospace museum.

The museum is located at a distance of 10 km from the Airport road and 10 km from the Bengaluru City Railway Station. Spread across an area of more than 4 hectares the museum is first of its kind in India which houses many interesting aircrafts and rare aeronautical devices. It is a reservoir of knowledge for anyone.

HAL Aerospace Museum | Image Resource : lilbunnyrabbitz.com

There are two major halls which divides the main entrance. One of the halls inside the main building contains the various photographs and also shows the growth of the aviation industry in all the decades following 1940s till today. The second hall inside the museum houses some of the best and rare models of aero engines and also highlights the various functions of the engine and other machines. There are also some real engines which are housed like the Garret, Adour and Orpheus engines.

There is also a library in the house which contains abundant knowledge for those interested in aerospace and its historical development over the years. The best thing inside the museum which all of us liked was the motion simulator which accentuates the user experience and gives a real life feeling of the fighter jets and the commercial aircrafts.

One may also want to check out the herbal garden; children’s play area and a souvenir shop. A sustainability park is also present which educates the visitors on solar system and renewable energy. It was a good informative visit. Once we were done with the museum we went to visit another prominent and historical attraction of the city, the summer palace of Tipu Sultan.

The next destination in our list was the Hidimba Devi Temple which is also known by the name of Hadimba Temple. The temple is actually in the form of a cave with the main deity being the Hidimba Devi who is Hidimba’s sister who in turn was an important character in Mahabharata.

On reaching the temple, we could find that it is in the middle of the cedar forest and is located at the bottom of the massive Himalayas. In the olden days, the rock coming out of the ground naturally was worshipped as the deity. But the original structure in the form of the cave temple came into existence in the year 1553.

Manali Hadimba Temple | Image Resource : homestaymanali.in

It is believed that Hidimba Devi used to meditate inside the cave and used to live here along with her brother who also had the name of Hidimba. The locals say that not much information is available regarding their parents.

They were actually part of the Rakshas family with Hidimba promising to get married to an individual who had the courage, bravery and strength to defeat Hidimba, her brother. It was Bhima, a part of the Pandavas group who had killed Hidimba when they were in exile and had visited Manali.

Hidimba Devi Temple Manali | Image Resource : homestaymanali.in

It was after this phase that Bhima got married to Hidimbi with their son being named as Ghatotkacha. The design of the Hidimbi Devi Temple inside the cave is quite exquisite. We were very surprised to see the intricacy of the designs and just kept wondering at how they were executed in the era in which it was constructed. At the top of the tower, there are three square shaped roofs. On the main door, there are carvings of Goddess Durga. The base of the temple is made of mud covered, whitewashed stonework.

The deity of Hidimbi Devi is in the form of a massive brass image on a big rock. We could also spot a rope hanging down ahead of the massive rock. The locals also informed us that her son Ghatotkacha’s temple is located around 70 metres away. We also came across the area’s most interesting feature which was a massive footprint of Goddess Hidimba spanning over the entire valley close to the temple.

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After the trip to the exquisite RK beach in Vishakhapatnam our next trio was to one of the famous landmarks and tourist destination known as the Borra Caves. It is located in on the Anathagiri hill range along the Gosthani River. The cave is 100 mtr horizontally and 80 mtr vertically. The caves are full of formations of stalagmite and stalactite. The climate and average temperature of the hills where the caves are situated are as low as 25 degree Celsius. The river which flows along the caves provides water to the entire Vishakhapatnam City.

The caves were first discovered during the Geological Survey of India in 1807 by William King George. When these caves were discovered there were several myths and legends that came up about these caves. The most popular legend about these caves is that a cow which was once gazing on the top of these caves dropped through a hole. The cowherd who was searching for his cow came across these caves, while searching he came across a lingam which was interpreted as the Lord Shiva form who protected this cow from falling further. Since then a temple was built by the village folk outside the caves and people from all over the state comes to visit the temple.

Borra Caves Visakhapatnam | Image Resource : wikipedia.org

The trip to these caves was an adventurous journey. The temple and lingam dedicated to Lord Shiva was very beautiful. It was certainly a very artistic place. There were lot of good spots for photography and picnic. It was a cool place to hang out with your family. There are good food shops and cafes located nearby providing hot and cold beverages to the visitors. It is certainly a must go place if you are travelling to Vishakhapatnam.

The Borra Caves can be reached easily from any parts of the Vizag city. There are buses both of the tourism department and transport department that ply on the routes. After this visit our trip to Vizag city was coming to an end. We decided to visit one last place before going back it was the famous Araku Valley.

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About Me.

Hi, I am Sunitha Katoch. I am a multitasker and I enjoy managing a full time job at travel desk and seeing my lovely teenaged kids excel in different fields all at the same time. I love blogging about exotic cuisines and fabulous travel destinations but there are times when I prefer to idle or waste an entire day lazily. In this blog, I would love to share my great experience while travelling to different locations around the world. I would also like to share my dream destinations and reasons why I wish to be to these great locations. I am a born foodie and I would love to share with my readers the best local cuisines and eateries where you can savour your tastebuds with delectable food.